Rotary Club breaks ground for second Pigeon Creek canoe launch

EVANSVILLE - Vanderburgh County officials praised a Rotary Club of Evansville project that will soon add a second canoe launch point to Pigeon Creek during the project's ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday morning.

The Rotary Club previously announced plans to construct the ramp just off Green River Road north of Lynch Road in February 2012. It will be the second canoe ramp in the county for Pigeon Creek, about six miles upstream from the existing launch point near Heidelbach Avenue.

"It's so good to have an organization and citizens to go out in front find a project and then start a project, and then come to us for any assistance we can give," said Marsha Abell, the president of the Vanderburgh County board of commissioners. Another commissioner, Stephen Melcher, also spoke at Thursday's ceremony in support of the project.

The rotary club raised $125,500 for the project that will cover the cost of launch construction, as well as the creation of a paved access road and a 13-spot parking lot for users. Several corporations donated to the project to account for part of that total, among them Alcoa and the Welborn Foundation, which both gave $20,000. Vectren contributed $15,000.

The boat launch is the vision of former Rotarian President Brian Williams, said current club president Jeffrey Berger. Williams spoke about the necessity of giving users two public access points to the waterway. The route will be known as the Pigeon Creek Blue Trail. He said the project should take eight to 10 weeks to complete.

"We're looking at early fall," said Williams, who donned an orange life jacket for Thursday's festivities, "which ought to be an ideal time for the public to just jam this place and float down Pigeon Creek."